I am often asked if I homestead or if I farm. This brings the inevitable question of what is the difference between a homestead and a farm. Well, a quick look at the dictionary can give us definitions of the terms

Homestead-A homestead is a house and surrounding land owned by a family — often, it includes a farmhouse.

Farm-A farm is a plot of land that's used for growing food crops or raising livestock.

Now that we have that out of the way, what does it actually mean?

Well, we happen to have a house and surrounding land, though it's a small piece, so I guess we qualify under this definition of "homestead". We also happen to raise crops and livestock. That makes us a farm too.

I am going to re-define the two terms to how I view them.

Homestead- a place to become more sustainable. Your goal is to provide for yourself, your family, your livestock, off the property you have.

Farm- lands with which you raise livestock or crops with the intention of making a profit.

Here at Three Chickadees Farm, our first intention is to provide for ourselves. I have a small family of 5 people. Three growing children who I homeschool, share adventures, and feed all the delicious organic grown foods we produce here. We put up most of our surplus for the winter months. This makes us first a homestead.

We also try to sell some of our surplus, but not in production quantities yet. It is however in our 5 year goal. To put in production beds with which to provide a modest income. So we are also a farm-ish.

I would put us in the modern homestead category with farmy aspiration. Property may never be in our cards, and I am content to continue in growing for my family, my pantry, and my community. A modern urban homestead inspiring resilience and sustainability.

Keeping a garden journal is one of the most benneficial things you can do outside of the keeping the garden. If your at all like me, I garden the best every new season. The trick to this is learning from my mistakes. Now, with three homeschooling kids, I know that relying on my brain to keep things tucked away till next year is NOT the best way to improve every year. This is where my journal swoops in and saves me from my past mistakes!

I am not a gadget person. I don't need a one trick appliance taking up valuable small kitchen real estate. My cupboards are packed with canned and dry pantry items, my counters are often overflowing with homegrown produce waiting to be munched or preserved. To gain a permanent place in my kitchen the electric appliance must be a workhouse, make my life significantly easier, and really benefit my family's lifestyle.

Since we moved in to this home 5 years ago I have been slowly but surely bringing down our douglas fir trees. The property had 12 fir and one ponderosa pine tree that blocked much of the sun from my yard and planned garden. I never planned to bring down the trees that made us feel like we were in a private setting even though our neighbors are within ear shot. After spending a full year in the home we knew something had to change. ​Now, don't misunderstand me, I LOVE trees and there is a large part of me that is sad to see them go. I loved my campground feel, the shade they offered to lounge and play under. I will miss them buffering the winter winds, but the truth of it is, I want to grow them most I can for my family and this meant taking the offer of a local tree service to bring them down.